Part Thirty-Four:

"Alright, let's find out how this is going to turn out," Vlad announced after the jury was brought in. It had been five, long days for the jury to deliberate. Earlier in the morning, Zellen's aunt had shown up and was now seated in the gallery with the other observers.

Zellen was on pins and needles. King Ashura patted his shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile; they were seated in the witness stand, once again. He looked over to see Drysi, her grandmother, and their lawyers standing in front of Vlad. "Alright, Lexie, we'll deal with your client first. Foreman, what about the first charge of collusion?"

Zellen hoped the smug expression on the duchess would be wiped off with a guilty verdict. The foreman rose and said, "We found her guilt on this charge. It's clear she served the cream that drugged Zellen Vagin."

Zellen felt a smile come to his face as Duchess Naidra grew sour. Vlad said, "So noted. And on the charge of treason against the crown?"

"We find her guilty of that as well. She clearly plotted against King Ashura's wishes for Masters Yuui and Fai."

"What! You vermin!" she snarled at the jury. The nine people gasped and glared back at her.

"Don't make me remove you, you old hag," Vlad snapped. "I'll let the king sentence you tomorrow morning. Now for Drysi Vagin's charges?"

"We found her not guilty of treason against the crown. There was no proof she was aware of her grandmother's plot with the bandits." Zellen sighed when he heard that.

"And collusion against her husband?"

"We found there was enough doubt in her innocence because she benefited from the act. We find that she did plot with her grandmother."

Zellen's stomach sunk. King Ashura gripped his shoulder. He whispered, "It'll be okay."

"Since she she is acquitted of treason against the crown, I reserve the right to sentence her rather than refer sentencing to King Ashura. Ten years imprisonment in Belgrad Olbast. I pass the matter to King Ashura for affirmation or absolution tomorrow. I also direct Reverend Romave to annul the marriage between her and Zellen Vagin tomorrow morning."

"Please don't," Zellen said barely above a whisper, meeting the distress in Drysi's eyes.

"Speak up!" Vlad snapped at Zellen.

He stood and pleaded, "Please don't annul my marriage to Drysi. I beg you."

"Listen, kid, I'm doing this for your own good. Finish growing up and then find a different girl. This is a real mess they put you in. You'll only regret it if you stay with her," Vlad said.

"I promise she didn't do anything wrong," Zellen said.

"If I may," King Ashura said, standing, "Vlad, can I pool the jury?"

"Sure," Vlad said. "Jury, stand if you voted to convict Drysi on the charge of collusion." Five of the people stood. Zellen couldn't believe how close it was. How could they not see across the board that she was innocent?

"We didn't feel entirely comfortable with the vote. We think she just got caught in the middle of things and got bullied by the duchess," the foreman explained. "We just weren't sure. I don't think any of us would complain if she was absolved. I mean, her own husband, the supposed victim, wants to stay with her."

"I will take this into consideration tomorrow morning," King Ashura said and took his seat.

"If that's all, I'll dismiss the court," Vlad said. "Thank you, jurors."

"Ashura!" the duchess called out.

King Ashura flung his hand towards the door. "Tuck her away."

The constables grabbed the duchess and pulled her out of the courtroom while she still shouted out to Ashura. Zellen turned to Drysi before she was lead out. "I'll visit you later."

The gallery of people stood and most chatted while a few headed out the door. Zellen looked up when his aunt approached him. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do?" she asked.

"Will you go visit Drysi while I go talk to King Ashura?"

"Of course," she said and left. Zellen turned to see Ashura sitting in the witness stand; he looked as placid as ever.

He walked over to the king and asked, "May I please talk to you, Highness?"

"I figured you'd want to see me. Walk with me to my private study," the king said.

Zellen followed Ashura to his study. He'd try his hardest to convince Ashura to let Drysi go and let them stay married.


"Wow, why are they glowing like that? I've never seen them do that," Fai whispered. He, Kurogane, and Lord Suwa were laying flat on their stomachs on a cliff over a beach. Two demons were feasting on a deer down below. Their skin was glowing bright red.

"I don't know," Lord Suwa said.

"It looks like some sort of magic, the same kind Princess Tomoyo uses," Fai said. "It's strange. I can feel my wards didn't fail. Somehow they must have teleported across the liminal."

"Demons can't use magic," Kurogane reminded him.

"Yes, but what if someone teleported them across the liminal?" Fai asked.

"Why would someone do that?" Kurogane asked.

"Maliciousness, perhaps? Does Suwa have any enemies?" Fai asked.

"We used to fight Mamoru Takatori's father, but Reiji's dead. We maintain good relationships with everyone else," Lord Suwa said. "Not only are we one of the biggest and wealthiest proveniences, we're the biggest exporter of rice, so lots of people like to keep in our good graces for affordable food."

"We'll figure it out later. They're on the move," Kurogane said. They sprang to their feet and got their weapons ready. The pair of demons noticed them now. Both roared and then flew upwards towards them and soon were flying over their heads, getting ready to dive at them. Fai fired an arrow and it struck one of them in the stomach. The thing screamed and fell towards Kurogane. He easily beheaded the demon. Lord Suwa leaped up and was quick to disembowel the second one. Both demons dissolved into black goo.

"Nicely done, Kuro-wa," Fai said, with a bright smile. "You do know, though, I didn't finish my thoughts."

"What is it, mage?" Lord Suwa asked, sheathing Pale Blue Ice.

"Whoever could manage transporting those demons across my wards' liminal space, has to be powerful enough to travel across dimensions. I put a lot of energy into each ward."

"Well, that's only a handful of sorcerers in Nihongo," Kurogane said. "Very few people can wield your level of power."

"Well, that will narrow down the list of suspects. You can cross me off the list, Lord Suwa, seeing as how I set up the wards."

"I wouldn't think you'd make your work here harder," Lord Suwa said. "We'll check the nearby fishing village and see if they noticed anything."


Ashura looked at the nervous, young man. He wanted Zellen nervous, he wanted Zellen terrified. It was the only way to ensure the young man would be under his thumb and too rattled to reveal anything he knew.

Ashura sealed the door and cast three green hexes to ensure nothing was overheard. "Sit, Zellen." The young man quickly took a chair at a writing table and Ashura took one across from him. The poor boy looked as if he were on the edge of tears. "I know you came to plead for Drysi."

"Of course. Please... I know she didn't mean to harm Yuui... me, for that matter."

"I don't believe she knew a thing. I'm very sure of that. The girl is not the type to do anything conniving like her grandmother. I've known her since she was born; she's as honest as the day is long."

"So now what?" he asked, looking desperate.

"Well, I have to take what the jury told me and decide if Vlad's sentence should stand or be struck down. I'm the ultimate arbiter in Celes. I do have to weigh the jury's opinion rather heavily, though. I want to accommodate you, Zellen, you being such a close friend of Yuui's, but like I explained, I must always remain neutral and hand out justice, or else my subjects will stop trusting me. I can't allow that."

"I understand that, but keep in mind, Drysi is your subject. And she's loyal. Those jurors even doubted their decision."

"I know, I heard it."

"Please give her absolution tomorrow. I know you don't offer it too often, but I promise you she deserves it."

Ashura gave him a sympathetic look and patted his upper arm. "Zellen, you know I want to, but I have to make absolutely sure. Will you give me overnight to think carefully on it? I'll review everything and promise to make a fair decision. Please understand that I have to make sure everyone trusts that I'm weighing things out and not giving an unfair advantage to someone because of any affection I may have."

Ashura was satisfied, seeing Zellen's distress and sadness. Having the boy off balance was where he wanted him. "I do understand. I'll trust you."

"Good. Please, go see Drysi and tell her I'm thinking of her. Tomorrow morning, I'll publish my decision."

"Thank you, Highness," Zellen said numbly before leaving the study.

When alone, Ashura smiled to himself. He'd make sure Zellen was so dizzy with gratitude tomorrow, he'd do anything Ashura asked of him, including submitting himself to a memory altering spell. Ashura told himself Zellen would be better off not remembering certain things. This was only for the boy's own good.

Ashura leaned back in his chair, fighting the urge to go check on his meek, little Yuui upstairs. If he approached the pool that held his child and the reanimator, it would repel him. That was one of the spells he cast around them for protection: no magic users could enter the pool.

Then a rage flared in his heart at the thought of that filthy pig Boris resting by his precious child's side. He had placed Boris at Yuui's side for a good reason, even though he didn't want that. Boris was a talented and ruthless hex caster; Ashura'd helped train the boy when he entered the army. Boris, for all of his being disgraced, churlish, and dispassionate, was still a solider at heart, albeit, disheartened. He could protect Yuui just like Fai if Ashura finally couldn't control his urges to take Yuui's eyes any longer and broke across that spell on the pool.

For some reason Yuui chose Boris to be by his side when he went seeking Ashura, so he let it be, even though he had wanted to consume all of Boris' blood when he found them together. Yuui's pain at feeling Boris being destroyed was the only thing that had stayed Ashura's hand.

At the same time, the thought of Yuui's empathy picking up on Boris' descent into madness made Ashura furious. It was why Ashura put a 'Dead or Alive' order on Boris. He didn't want Boris dead until Fai was back; Boris was only temporary insurance for Yuui's safety.

He wanted someone else to kill Boris before Yuui could be dragged down with him. If they awakened and Fai was brought back, Boris had to die before he dragged Yuui into his quagmire. Ashura would just ache inside if his Yuui succumbed to mental illness thanks to Boris. It had always been a worry of his, raising an empath.


Fei-Wang, Reiji Takatori's old court magician who had brought Schwarz into their realm, observed the mage and two ninjas from a distant cliff. His assistant, Xing Huo, also looked on, dispassionately. They were both cloaked from view with a spell.

"The mage's wards were really hard to teleport through, but I, in the end, was triumphant," Fei-Wang bragged.

Xing looked up at him and asked, "What was the point in all this?"

"To cause war to break out, of course."

"War?" she asked.

"Yes. Your job is to start a rumor at Princess Tomoyo's court that Mamoru Takatori's grandfather ordered this. That old fossil wanted this anyway, so he'll gloat and take credit. Lord Suwa will have no choice but to confront Mamoru. We'll keep putting demons over Suwa's border until Lord Suwa will have to declare war on Tsukiyono. Then we will encourage Mamoru to invade Suwa, like his father wanted to do, and incorporate it into his territory."

" Mamoru has just declared Lord Suwa as an ally. It will be difficult."

"Not really. Tsukiyono is still shamed by the rejection of the bride they offered that Suwa whelp. Plus, Mamoru wants to prove himself a worthy leader in his grandfather's eyes. If he backs down from a war declaration, well, he'll bring great shame on Tsukiyono. So go to Edo and spread the kind of trouble I know you can."

She bowed to him, raised her hands, and created a red sphere of magic. It engulfed her, sending her to Shirosagi Castle.


Zellen went to the dungeon. Drysi and Tanya were sitting on either side of the bars. He was encouraged that Drysi looked a little more relaxed and his aunt had a cheery smile.

"Hey, you two look encouraged," he noted.

"Well, I was just saying how I never did give you a wedding gift. So what I'll do is pay for a honeymoon to Venyor when this is all over," Tanya said.

"Really?" Zellen asked in incredulity. "But that's a really high-class ski resort."

"Yes, I'm sure. I want to do this for you. You'll deserve a get-away after this."

"But it's expensive," Zellen pointed out.

"And I have the money to spare. And I want to see you two enjoy something special. Just let me do this for you and don't worry about a thing, Zel," his aunt insisted.

"Thank you so much," he said feeling so humbled.

"What did King Ashura say?" Drysi asked.

"He is considering absolution, but he wanted to think about it overnight," Zellen informed them.

Drysi, gave him a smile and said, "It's still a chance. I'll pray all night things go our way."

"Our way?" Zellen asked, not comprehending her strange turn of phrase.

"I'm a Vagin, aren't I? I no longer claim kinship to Harvoan," she said.

He gave her a warm smile. "Of course. You're a Vagin now. We aren't grand or fancy..."

"I was never looking for grand or fancy. I was looking for someone to care for me in spite of my psychometry. You do that, so I don't need to look any further," Drysi said, giving him a warm smile.

He felt so humbled by her he couldn't meet her eyes any longer. "Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?"

"Just stay and talk to me. You know, like we do when we play cards and board games."

He felt himself unable to do anything but grin, in spite of the weight hanging over their heads.

"Well, I want to catch up on the gossip, so I'll leave you two alone," Tanya said and left quietly.

Zellen took his aunt's vacated seat. "What do you want to talk about?"

Drysi gave him a smile and did something very odd. She removed her gloves. He'd never once seen her hands. He felt a rush of pity at seeing all the white scars lacing them along with the purplish patches and gnarled fingers.

"You've never seen them, a psychometrist's hands. Most people are repulsed. We take our power through touch. A lot of times, that is translated onto the skin. The hands are the tools we use to gain knowledge, so they suffer the most. This is what you're choosing to stay with."

Zellen felt himself smile even brighter. The thought that she would show him something so personal and painful touched him deeply. "To me, they're beautiful."

She sobbed herself to sleep on her her bed after that, and all he could do was watch her behind the hexed bars. He was grateful she fell asleep soon. He didn't hear anything from the duchess' cell and he wasn't going to bother her and get into another, needless fight. He left quietly when he was sure Drysi was sound asleep.


"What! This is ridiculous," Lord Suwa raged. He reread the petition and then glared at the messenger from Shirosagi Castle. "Say this isn't so! I just smoothed things out with Mamoru Takatori! We had a solid understand and an alliance going. Then that crazy old bastard of a grandfather of his is causing trouble? Even on his sick bed, that Shingo Takatori could never be satisfied to stay within his borders, and his son Reiji, good riddance, was the same. Now that whithered, old corpse is trying to try to harass me into giving him territory? No way. He can go..."

"Lord Suwa!" Kentaro shouted out and scrambled into the sitting room. The retainer knelt on one knee and reported, "More demons, along our southern coastline!"

"How many?"

"Eight!"

"Damn that..." He groused. He doubted Fai's wards were failing; the mage was extremely powerful. This had to be Takatori mischief of some sort. That would point to one person that could manage magic at this level: Fei-Wang. "Alright. Tell the princess I'm bringing a grievance against Tsukiyono. In the meanwhile, I declare the right of defense. I won't declare full war until Mamoru answers me in front of Princess Tomoyo."

The messenger from Edo nodded and left quickly. Lord Suwa ordered, "Get my son and his mage."

Moments later, Kurogane and Fai joined Lord Suwa in his sitting room. "Father, you sent for us?"

"Yes. I must go to Edo, right away, but there is something I need you and your mage to handle. It would seem the person loosing demons in our territory has to by Fei-Wang. It was at Shingo Takatori's request."

"Takatori? I remember that name," Fai said.

"It's Mamoru's invalid grandfather. He was a real trouble maker in his day," Lord Suwa explained. "Anyway, I'm going to talk it out with Mamoru in front of Princess Tomoyo. In the meanwhile, I need you two to get rid of the eight demons that were brought over by Fei-Wang, and any others that my crop up. Kurogane, you are fully in charge of all my resources when I'm gone. I know this is the first time for this, but I have total faith in you. Take the men under my command and march to the south where these demons are showing up from the sea."

"I will not fail you, Father. My mage and I will drive them back alongside your men."

"This Fei-Wang... is he pretty strong?" Fai asked. Lord Suwa heard a note of concern in his voice.

"He's very strong, and he's power hungry, just like most Takatoris," Lord Suwa said. "You need to be wary, mage, but I think you could match him in magical combat."

"We'll be careful, Father, and we'll handle those demons," Kurogane said, giving Lord Suwa a bow.

"Good. Be careful, Son, and I'll see you as soon as possible." Lord Suwa trusted his son to take care of business here, while he handled the business in Edo. He couldn't imagine Mamoru violating their peace agreement out of the blue.


Zellen now stood in King Ashura's throne room beside his aunt, along with quite a few other people. He noticed several influential people from the Southlands. He didn't recognize them by face, but he overheard their gossip. It was malicious and treasonous. They were more loyal to the duchess than the king. They thought this was a travesty and were planning to fight King Ashura on Duchess Naidra's convictions.

Yes, they planned to shift all the blame to Drysi. His aunt put her hand around his wrist and shook her head at him before he could cause a fight. He was not really surprised to see Drysi's sisters here. Olena and Bresha were clutching each others' hands as they made their way towards Zellen. He felt sick at seeing them, and he got defensive. They'd blame him for all this trouble.

He was shocked to see Olena smile at him. "How are you doing, Zellen?"

He hadn't talked to his sister-in-laws since the marriage; he imagined they hated his guts. When they seemed friendly, he was taken aback.

"I'm fine. This is my aunt, Tanya Vagin, mayor of Kella. Auntie, these are Drysi's sisters Olena and Bresha."

"Nice to meet you finally. Drysi has told me how she really cherishes you both," Tanya said, giving them a bright smile and shaking their hands.

"So how are you?" Zellen asked the young ladies.

"Not too good, but not too surprised. We had a feeling our grandmother was up to something before she brought us to Luval. She kept pressing us to be too nice to Yuui," Olena explained. "We just hate to see Drysi dragged into this, because she wouldn't plot a thing. She's too sweet and innocent."

"I know! Thank you for seeing it," Zellen said.

"Wow! You really like her," Bresha observed with a bright smile.

"I do, and I meant her no harm. I do love her, and I want the best for her." Zellen hoped they'd believe him.

"We know. She wrote us a long letter months ago explaining why she was staying married to you. You must have impressed her a great deal," Olena said.

"I really do love her, in spite of anything you've heard," Zellen said, hoping his sincerity came through.

Bresha said with a huge smile, "It's kind of romantic, in a weird way. You marry one man, but then find it's another. Something about it is kind of... you know... romantic... in a twisted way. So your first night together... did she know... or did you still play like you were someone else? That's kind of..."

"Bresha!" Olena sputtered, horrified.

"We haven't had that! Our first night! Well, it wasn't my intention when we got married. I would have confessed," he said, feeling a little embarrassed at the younger sister's gushing at the kinky angle.

King Ashura entered and the duchess and Drysi where brought out. No lawyers now, just King Ashura remained.

"Naidra, you've always been bitter towards my mother because she was chosen over you, but I've never held that against you. Now, I can't ignore you any longer. Forty years in Belgrad Olbast is your sentence."

"How could you!"

"Very easily. Away with you."

"You haven't heard the last me!" the duchess swore before she was hauled off.

Ashura then turned to Drysi, who was trembling. "I've taken into account everything the jury said. I don't see a reason why your sentence shouldn't be stricken. I hereby strike Drysi Vagin's sentence, and I will not order the annulment unless Zellen Vagin wants it."

"No, Highness!" Zellen gushed, not believing how generous King Ashura was being.

Ashura gave him a warm smile. "Good. Then you can take your bride home." Joy hit Zellen hard and he and his aunt shared a quick hug.

"Thank you so much, Majesty! I'm so grateful."

"Before you leave for Kella, there is a private matter I must discuss with you."

Zellen smiled back and nodded. "Of course."

To be continued.